The use of intraocular implant lenses has been highly developed in recent years, especially in connection with the removal of cataracts, and such operations are now common medical procedure. In such procedures it is desirable to minimize the size of the incision which must be made to insert and position the lens in the eye, in order to shorten the time required for healing and to minimize any chance of wound failure.
Most previous implanting techniques have required that the incision made in the eye be slightly wider than the diameter of the lens to be implanted so that the lens can be inserted through the incision. Recently techniques have been developed for reducing the width of certain lenses prior to incision, by folding or rolling prior to insertion, see V.L. Bohn, "Soft IOL Technology", Ocular Surgery News, Volume 5, No. 5, Mar. 1, 1987, page 1.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,034, titled "Folded Intraocular Lens, Method of Implanting Folded Intraocular Lens", discloses a resilient lens which is retained in folded configuration for implanting, by a retainer wrapped partway around the lens and held in place as by ties between its ends.
My copending application Ser. No. 213,325, previously referred to, discloses a folded lens which is held folded by fastening means which are integral with the lens itself, or alternatively by sutures which extend through apertures in overlying parts of the folded lens.
The techniques for forming and securing the foregoing retaining means are relatively complicated, involving securing a retainer around the lens, or suturing through the folded lens, or forming the retainer integrally with the lens.